1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to oral hygiene appliances and more particularly to a consumer dental appliance combined with a mechanism for release of an oral hygiene enhancement ingredient.
2. Antecedents of the Invention
For many years, toothpicks have been routinely used for removal of food particles lodged between teeth. It has also been known to impregnate wood toothpicks with mint flavoring. Employment of toothpicks, however, has been relegated to situations where more effective and complete oral hygiene practices cannot be achieved, e.g. after meals away from home wherein a toothbrush and dental floss were not readily available or the use of which would be impractical.
The inherent advantages of the toothpicks were that they provided a relatively easy xe2x80x9cfixxe2x80x9d to an immediate problem on hand, i.e. the dislodgement of food particles, and could be easily carried on one""s person or were readily available at a dining facility.
There was a need, however, for enhanced oral hygiene practices in situations where more complete oral hygiene techniques, e.g. brushing, flossing, rinsing, etc. were not practical.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,911 disclosed an oral hygiene product having a wedge shaped fin and a stem formed of cellular material covered by a protective skin. The fin was employed to cleanse by being drawn through the spaces between teeth. Thereafter, the stem was to have been cut or broken and folded to expose the cellular material which was then rubbed over tooth surfaces for cleansing and/or chewed. The cellular material included oral hygiene products such as plaque inhibitors, plaque stain, fluoride, etc.
It is unknown whether the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,911 was commercialized. It is evident, however, that if it was sold, it did not gain commercial acceptance, perhaps because the use thereof was difficult or the costs involved in manufacture prohibited commercial exploitation. Further, the use of the product would not be obvious to a casual purchaser observing a point of sale display, for example, and it would also appear that one would be reluctant to take out such device for use in public view.
A dental implement includes a dental tool at one end of an elongate body. Typical dental tools include scalers, curved picks, interdental stimulators, interproximal brushes, floss holders, etc. A similar or different tool is provided at the other end of the body.
The body includes a comfit grip formed of an electuary, e.g. a sugarless confection, a soft lozenge, chewing gum, a hard candy, etc. An active ingredient of the comfit grip serves an oral hygiene enhancement function and may include an anticaries agent, an antibacterial agent, a plaque inhibitor, a malodor inhibitor, a fluoride compound, etc. The oral hygiene enhancement ingredient is released into the oral cavity when the comfit grip is dissolved or chewed, etc. and is carried by and administered in the oral cavity by saliva.
The comfit grip may be stripped from the body and placed in the oral cavity after or before the dental tool(s) have been employed employed in a conventional manner. Alternately, the comfit grip is placed in the oral cavity for release of the active ingredient together with a portion of the implement body and only the implement is removed.
The implement body itself may be formed of a dissolvable electuary and provided with a releasable active ingredient.
From the foregoing compendium, it should be appreciated that an aspect of the present invention is to provide a dental implement with comfit grip of the general character described which is not subject to the disadvantages of the antecedents aforementioned.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide a dental implement with comfit grip of the general character described which promotes multiple oral hygiene techniques.
A consideration of the present invention is to provide a dental implement with a comfit of the general character described which may be inconspicuously employed in social situations.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide a dental implement with a comfit of the general character described which is relatively low in cost.
A further aspect of the present invention is to provide a dental implement with a comfit of the general character described which is well adapted for low cost mass production fabrication.
Another consideration of the present invention is to provide a dental implement with a comfit grip of the general character described which promotes effective oral hygiene in situations wherein conventional toothbrushing and mouth rinsing are impractical.
A still further aspect of the present invention is to provide a dental implement with a comfit grip of the general character described a portion of which is dissolvable within the oral cavity to release an oral hygiene enhancement constituent.
Yet another feature of the present invention is to provide a dental implement with a comfit of the general character described wherein the comfit is formed of a chewing gum confection which releases an oral hygiene enhancement constituent.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide a dental implement with a comfit grip of the general character described which is useful for both the dislodgement of food particles and for dispensing an oral hygiene enhancement ingredient.
To provide a dental implement with a comfit grip of the general character described wherein the grip includes an oral hygiene enhancement ingredient released when the comfit is dissolved by saliva is a still further consideration of the present invention.
Yet another feature of the present invention is to provide a dental implement with a comfit grip of the general character described wherein the grip is formed of an elecutory which releases an oral hygiene promoting agent when dissolved in the oral cavity.
To provide a dental implement of the general character described including a dental tool at least a portion of which is formed of a confection which releases an oral hygiene constituent is yet another feature of the present invention.
Other aspects, features and considerations of the present invention in part will be obvious and in part will be pointed out hereinafter.
With these ends in view, the invention finds embodiment in the various combinations of elements, arrangements of parts and series of steps by which the aforesaid aspects, features and considerations and certain other aspects, features and considerations are attained, or with reference to the accompanying drawings in the scope of which will be more particularly pointed out and indicated in the appended claims.